Gunmen kill Kaduna govt official, kidnap nursing mother, baby

Unidentified gunmen numbering five struck again in the early hours of yesterday and killed the Director of Operations of the Kaduna Geographic Information Service (KADGIS), Malam Dauda.

It was gathered that the attackers breached the security network at the victim’s residence located in Barakallahu community in Igabi local council of the state and assassinated him.

According to sources, the assailants simply killed the victim and took to their heels without touching any valuable in the house.

It was also gathered that the gunmen attacked a nearby community possibly to divert the attention of members of the community as they carried out their nefarious act. There was however no casualty in the other attack.

Confirming the incident, the District Head of the community, Alhaji Muhammad Abdullahi, said the Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) of Rigachikun and Barnawa, who are residents of the community, had visited the scene of the crime.

He said: “This is simply a case of assassination because they went to only the victim’s house, killed him and left the community. They did not take anything in his house neither did they attack the guard and his wife.

“Even the other village that was attacked, no life was lost; they just caused commotion and left. We feel they just did that to make it look like an attack.

“We have been facing various security breaches in the community informed by the vast ungoverned land taken over by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF). You know we were in court; we won at the High Court but they appealed the case at the Appeal Court here in Kaduna.”

He called on the state government to mediate between the community and the NAF on the land matter, saying the land has become a hiding place for criminals.

Barakallahu community is about five kilometres away from Kaduna main town, along the Kaduna-Zaria road.

In a similar development, gunmen also stormed Tudun Mun Tsira village of Zangon Shanu, Samaru in Sabon Gari local council of the state and kidnapped a nursing mother and her baby.

The gunmen also abducted an elderly man identified as Mallam Abubakar Garba Aliyu and his son, Salimi Abubakar, who recently relocated to the area.

Zangon Shanu is a settlement close to ABU Zaria, and the community houses most of the teaching and non-teaching staff of the institution. The attack left residents in the area in panic.

An eyewitness said: “The gunmen came in large number and invaded the area through the back fence of the university.

They rode on motorbikes carrying sophisticated arms.

“We assumed they came from Kasuwar Da’a axis in Giwa local council, which is very close to our settlement. They picked a nursing mother and her baby at Tudun Mun Tsira village before proceeding to Hayin Liman where they abducted an elderly man, one Alhaji Abubakar along with his grown-up son.”

The Guardian could not confirm both incidents from the police as State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Mohammed Jalige, could not be reached at the time of filing this report as his mobile phone was switched off.